Alternatively

High Tide

"And at the end of the third heat, things are lookin' pretty bleak for Gardiner."

Percy stretched out on the sand, shielding his eyes against the sun. The four surfers were just coming back to shore, carving loosely on their way. It had been a brutal match and one that already had a clear winner. The other three didn't stand a chance against Annabeth Chase.

"Yo, Earth to Jackson?"

"I'm here, yeah," he squinted at Jason. "What?"

The blond kicked up sand. "You're going to the dinner, right?"

"Dinner? What, yeah, I can't miss your big endorsement deal, now can I?"

"Support appreciated, but that's not why I'm asking," he smirked, yanking on Percy's arm. "I've just been informed that a certain cretin is gonna be there, just to spite you."

He hung limply from his friend's grip. "I'd expect nothing less, let me go, I'm tired."

Jason would not let go; in fact, he managed to pull Percy off his towel just in time to see the girls jog up the beach with Chase in the lead. She caught his eye for a split second, which goddamn nearly stopped time, before getting swarmed with reporters and cameras.

She was terrible and how she made him feel was even worse.

"Piper is waiting in line for some fries," Jason breezily commented, dragging him across the beach and through the spectators. "Didn't want to watch the rest of the heat, you know how she is."

"Oh, yeah," he sarcastically drawled, ignoring the phones turning his way when they passed.

There were no clouds and he felt the glaring heat ripple off his back. He almost missed the cover of his surf gear; at least with it on, the sun wasn't as harsh on his skin. He had to keep squinting, the glittering white caps assaulting him from one side and the neon surf merchandise on the blinding sand from the other. It was brutal but perfect for the invitational, much different than the day before when giant waves and thick clouds threatened to wipe him out at every turn. Of course, it didn't stop him from coming out on top, but it was still inconvenient.

"Oh, look," Jason cheerily announced. "The girls are breaking free of their reporters, we should congratulate them-"

"I swear to god, you are the worst friend on the planet."

Before he could get a chance to further embarrass Percy, a couple of the reporters caught sight of them and quickly rushed over.

"Grace, how do you feel the day of your partnership with Pelagic?"

"What do you think about the adjustments in the League's regulations, effectively banning your signature Superman?"

"How has your injury effected your performance in yesterday's finals?"

"What will you do after retiring?"

Percy blinked out of his cheesy grin, looking at the tan pair of arms thrusting a camera in his face. "I plan on taking it slow, maybe follow through with my actual degree."

"Why did you decide to quit so early in your career?" the man inquired.

Did I not just explain this in the press release last month, he wearily thought, running a hand through his hair. "Ah, you know, I've been unhappy with competing. I want to surf for myself, not the competition. Among other things, of course."

"The scores are in and it seems there's no challenge the Wave Chaser can't beat!"

Percy excused himself from the impromptu interview, leaving Jason to the wolves and seeking out both shade and a score board. As figured, Annabeth had blown her competitors out of the water with a stellar 19.5, probably using moves that run the risk of foul. Clarisse LaRrue came in second and with a large score gap, mind you. Beauregard and Gardiner followed closely after that, not bad for new comers. He felt for Katie; she wouldn't be progressing to the finals, but it didn't look like she minded much. As far as crowd favorites went, she was up there with Annabeth and found herself with a fair amount of press and deals in the wings.